From the Deaf Bilingual Coalition:
After today's commotion (Crystal Gateway Marriott manager Jenny Botero's unprovoked attack on us) at the AG Bell convention, we debriefed each other and made more discoveries to today's attack.
AG Bell conv site coordinator/manager Botero snatched the flyers from Brianna DiGi, Barb DiGi's 8-year-old Deaf daughter, and in the process, harmed her. Brianna has scratches on her hand where the AG Bell coordinator/manager snatched the flyers from.
Yes, AG Bell coordinator/manager Botero abruptly snatched the flyers from a 8-year-old child and scratched her. Brianna was briefly traumatized by this unprovoked assault.
AG Bell coordinator/manager Botero then added insult to injury by ripping the flyers in half. Why would anybody do that to a 8-year-old child?
Brianna was OUTSIDE the hotel, and she was handing flyers to people LEAVING the hotel for lunch.
Before we go on, we assure you that Brianna is now OK and she retold her experience on video. (Posted at Amy Cohen Efron's and Raychelle Harris' sites.)
The video also includes evidence of AG Bell coordinator/manager Botero struggling with Raychelle Harris, who was peacefully handing out flyers and raising social awareness. See for yourself.
Is it acceptable to physically harm and traumatize an innocent 8-year-old Deaf child who was outside the hotel and not provoking anybody?
Repeat: videos up at Amy Cohen Efron's (blog.deafread.com.abcohende) and Raychelle Harris' (raysofraychelle.blogspot.com) sites. Transcript by Brian Riley forthcoming.
We need your help;
-call your local media and report this
-view the video (approx 5 min)
-direct media to the websites, transcript, etc.
-if you are in the area, come join us tomorrow
-call/e-mail Marriott Corporation and object to AG Bell coordinator/manager Botero's attack on an 8-year-old Deaf child. Be sure to zero on Crystal Gateway Marriott (not to be confused w/ the nearby Crystal City Marriott.)
-forward ur e-mail correspondence w/ Marriott to us, please
-donate to www.cad1906.org
Tomorrow we continue our campaign 9 AM-approximately 2 PM. We stand ready to talk w/ media and raise awareness. We also will remain PEACEFUL and hope that AG Bell coordinator/manager Jenny Botero does not attack Brianna or us again. Again, we are to remain PEACEFUL and continue raising awareness of Deaf children's and their families' plight.
Thank you.
Deaf Bilingual Coalition
Words from Raychelle: Today has made it clear to me that we must stand up for our children's rights. Deaf babies and toddlers all over the world can't fight back. It is up to us to be their voice, their protectors. Intentionally depriving deaf children of access to a natural language, that is linguistic murder. This has absolutely nothing to do with "freedom of choice". Any judge would put a parent in jail for intentionally preventing a child from learning a language, and yet we all allow this to happen to deaf children? Our deaf children should have complete access to ASL, English, you name it, as long as it is COMPLETE! And...why deny them something that works for hearing babies?
Showing posts with label deaf education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deaf education. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2007
Reeling from My Day at AGBAD Conference
Hi all,
What a day. I'm still reeling from the behavior of the AGBAD conference planners and their instructions for the Marriott Hotel manager and security. Originally they told us we couldn't distribute flyers in the lobby to conference participants, but we could verbally (their word) talk to them. What's the difference? It's just the same language in spoken form and in print form. That was really infuriating for us, very discriminatory, because AGBAD knew most of us couldn't speak. AGBAD conference planners were making up rules, one after another, just to stop us from interacting peacefully with the AGBAD conference participants.
At one point, an AGBAD participant came up to David Eberwein and me and sat down with us and asked us questions. She could sign, rusty, but she could sign and David spent quite some time explaining to her why we were there. They discovered they lived in neighboring states and agreed to get in touch to share ideas how to work with deaf children and exchanged e-mail addresses. That was what we wanted, what we intended for, when we came to the hotel, to enter into a peaceful dialogue with the AGBAD participants and educate them about why we were there...but.
AGBAD conference planners and the Marriott people made sure that would not happen with their constant conjuring up of new rules after other. When they forbade us to distribute flyers in the lobby, we cooperated. Then when we saw a large horde of AGBAD participants, about 100 of them, walking in a thick line out of the front doors to a bus out front, this was our opportunity to give them flyers and yet respect the, ahem, new rule the AGBAD head/Marriott manager made: no flyer distribution in the lobby (although there were stacks of flyers from other businesses on shelves near the concierge).
As I was smiling, making eye contact with people (some who were smiling back at me), and handing out flyers to individuals walking past me, all of sudden, I felt the stack of flyers I was holding being shoved out of my hand. Good thing my ASL skills allowed me to grab hold on for dear life - it was a natural reaction. If you're holding something and all of sudden someone tries to pull it out of your hand, what does your hand do? You hold on! This only took maybe 10, 15 seconds in all, but it felt like an eternity to me. The manager was shouting 3 inches away from my nose, and the only word I could decipher was "OUT"... I tried to mouth, "I'm outside"... then I think she said something like "sidewalk" and in an instant, she was gone (I think she realized she was being filmed).
Shaken and incredulous at their aggressive behavior...this brought back memories of the Gallaudet protests (1988 and the recent one). The same old theme over and over again - peaceful protestors and the colonialists, oppressors, who fight to censor and suppress the obvious truth.
Later, I found out there was a new rule from the AGBAD people/hotel manager. No flyer distribution outside in front of the hotel, but on the sidewalk (however there was no sidewalk in front of the hotel, because it was actually a mini-road for unloading/loading luggage (similar to many hotels). So we figured out the sidewalk they were talking about was wayyyyy off to the side of the hotel. Then all of sudden, they had a new rule: no sidewalk this time, but distribute flyers ACROSS the street or they would call the police. Then. They said they were gonna call the police.
I truly hope for a better day tomorrow where there will be opportunities for dialogue between AGBAD and ourselves. The more of YOU come, the more they realize they cannot ignore us anymore. We need to show them that we're not simply a small group of lunatics but that we represent the voice and desire of Deaf people all over the world when we ask that they simply stop their horrendous propaganda of prohibiting deaf babies, toddlers and children from signing. That's all we want. See YOU (yes, YOU) tomorrow. And THANK you to all who showed, sent your support through v/blogs and your comments. Your support and energy keeps us going!
Raychelle
P.S. The Crystal City metro actually stops right under the Crystal Gateway Marriott. Before you exit the metro, you'll see doors on your left and your right. There'll be signs for "Crystal Gateway Marriott" on the right door. Go through the right door and through all the delightful stores/shops until you get to the hotel (I'd say about 200-300 steps). Come and you get to cut several carrots with one knife- protest, see old friends, meet new friends, and sightsee Crystal City after the AGBAD conference ends! :)
A few photos from the AGBAD conference.
One of the participant's badges for the AGBAD conference: Note the "TALK" theme of the conference (participant name and city/state has been erased).
Jehanne poses by the AGBAD poster that has the theme of the conference printed on it: "Talk for a Lifetime"
David Eberwein and John Egbert sums up the events of the morning to the new arrivals
What a day. I'm still reeling from the behavior of the AGBAD conference planners and their instructions for the Marriott Hotel manager and security. Originally they told us we couldn't distribute flyers in the lobby to conference participants, but we could verbally (their word) talk to them. What's the difference? It's just the same language in spoken form and in print form. That was really infuriating for us, very discriminatory, because AGBAD knew most of us couldn't speak. AGBAD conference planners were making up rules, one after another, just to stop us from interacting peacefully with the AGBAD conference participants.
At one point, an AGBAD participant came up to David Eberwein and me and sat down with us and asked us questions. She could sign, rusty, but she could sign and David spent quite some time explaining to her why we were there. They discovered they lived in neighboring states and agreed to get in touch to share ideas how to work with deaf children and exchanged e-mail addresses. That was what we wanted, what we intended for, when we came to the hotel, to enter into a peaceful dialogue with the AGBAD participants and educate them about why we were there...but.
AGBAD conference planners and the Marriott people made sure that would not happen with their constant conjuring up of new rules after other. When they forbade us to distribute flyers in the lobby, we cooperated. Then when we saw a large horde of AGBAD participants, about 100 of them, walking in a thick line out of the front doors to a bus out front, this was our opportunity to give them flyers and yet respect the, ahem, new rule the AGBAD head/Marriott manager made: no flyer distribution in the lobby (although there were stacks of flyers from other businesses on shelves near the concierge).
As I was smiling, making eye contact with people (some who were smiling back at me), and handing out flyers to individuals walking past me, all of sudden, I felt the stack of flyers I was holding being shoved out of my hand. Good thing my ASL skills allowed me to grab hold on for dear life - it was a natural reaction. If you're holding something and all of sudden someone tries to pull it out of your hand, what does your hand do? You hold on! This only took maybe 10, 15 seconds in all, but it felt like an eternity to me. The manager was shouting 3 inches away from my nose, and the only word I could decipher was "OUT"... I tried to mouth, "I'm outside"... then I think she said something like "sidewalk" and in an instant, she was gone (I think she realized she was being filmed).
Shaken and incredulous at their aggressive behavior...this brought back memories of the Gallaudet protests (1988 and the recent one). The same old theme over and over again - peaceful protestors and the colonialists, oppressors, who fight to censor and suppress the obvious truth.
Later, I found out there was a new rule from the AGBAD people/hotel manager. No flyer distribution outside in front of the hotel, but on the sidewalk (however there was no sidewalk in front of the hotel, because it was actually a mini-road for unloading/loading luggage (similar to many hotels). So we figured out the sidewalk they were talking about was wayyyyy off to the side of the hotel. Then all of sudden, they had a new rule: no sidewalk this time, but distribute flyers ACROSS the street or they would call the police. Then. They said they were gonna call the police.
I truly hope for a better day tomorrow where there will be opportunities for dialogue between AGBAD and ourselves. The more of YOU come, the more they realize they cannot ignore us anymore. We need to show them that we're not simply a small group of lunatics but that we represent the voice and desire of Deaf people all over the world when we ask that they simply stop their horrendous propaganda of prohibiting deaf babies, toddlers and children from signing. That's all we want. See YOU (yes, YOU) tomorrow. And THANK you to all who showed, sent your support through v/blogs and your comments. Your support and energy keeps us going!
Raychelle
P.S. The Crystal City metro actually stops right under the Crystal Gateway Marriott. Before you exit the metro, you'll see doors on your left and your right. There'll be signs for "Crystal Gateway Marriott" on the right door. Go through the right door and through all the delightful stores/shops until you get to the hotel (I'd say about 200-300 steps). Come and you get to cut several carrots with one knife- protest, see old friends, meet new friends, and sightsee Crystal City after the AGBAD conference ends! :)
A few photos from the AGBAD conference.
One of the participant's badges for the AGBAD conference: Note the "TALK" theme of the conference (participant name and city/state has been erased).
Jehanne poses by the AGBAD poster that has the theme of the conference printed on it: "Talk for a Lifetime"
David Eberwein and John Egbert sums up the events of the morning to the new arrivals
Thursday, July 26, 2007
AGBAD Protest Report: Vlog & Blog
AGB Protest Report #1 from David Eberwein
Everybody,
We (John & Shirley Egbert, Aidan Mack, Barb DiGi, and I) had a great day today at Gallaudet University, the place where signing was never banned in its 143-year history. We spoke w/ a lot of people, and got more coming to the actual protest tomorrow.
The funny thing is, many didn't know abt the protest. Lesson: not everybody reads vlogs & blogs. Lesson 2: the old-fashioned way of tapping people still works. Lesson 3: in-person dialogue where all issues are debated and clarified works best!
We spoke w/ so many people today, and received so much support. Of course, some weren't sure about the purpose of this campaign, and we are grateful they took the time to listen to us. And we are grateful for their valuable suggestions! Dialogue is important!
There already is a big banner of Moe Klusza's latest cartoon (wow!) which we'll bring to the hotel tomorrow. Raychelle Harris created an excellent new site w/ all the directions, details, etc. Tomorrow we hand out pamphlets, wear t-shirts (more on this later), talk w/ media, and talk w/ AVT "experts". Raising awareness is the first step.
Tomorrow- the first-ever organized & collective stand-up for Deaf children's language & human rights in nearly 100 years! Seems like Veditz in 1913 was the last one who stood up to AGB. (No offense to those who HAVE stood up to AGB since 1913, but apparently this is the first organized/collective movement in a long time. Correct me if I'm wrong.)
History in the (re)making tomorrow!
Tomorrow- Fri. July 27th- 9 AM-3 PM Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington (Metro station: Crystal City)
Come one, come all!
°DE
(Note from Raychelle: Thanks to the following - David Eberwein, Barb DiGi and Aidan Mack for creating this vlog so you all can see the t-shirts, the banner, and the people involved in the simmering and brewing of the crucial AGB protest!)
Message from David Eberwein regarding protest plans for FRIDAY (tomorrow)
9 AM - 3 PM at Crystal Gateway Marriott (not to be confused w/ Crystal City Marriott). Please come for the full duration, and bring everybody you know. We will be wearing the "Irony" t-shirts, taping, talking with people, media, etc. This is the first movement in nearly 100 years where we collectively stand up for Deaf children's rights. Go to John Egbert's and Raychelle Harris' sites for more information and Jeanine Weisblatt's Facebook page, too.
SEE YOU THERE!
p.s. Not sure how to get there? Transportation? Click here
Everybody,
We (John & Shirley Egbert, Aidan Mack, Barb DiGi, and I) had a great day today at Gallaudet University, the place where signing was never banned in its 143-year history. We spoke w/ a lot of people, and got more coming to the actual protest tomorrow.
The funny thing is, many didn't know abt the protest. Lesson: not everybody reads vlogs & blogs. Lesson 2: the old-fashioned way of tapping people still works. Lesson 3: in-person dialogue where all issues are debated and clarified works best!
We spoke w/ so many people today, and received so much support. Of course, some weren't sure about the purpose of this campaign, and we are grateful they took the time to listen to us. And we are grateful for their valuable suggestions! Dialogue is important!
There already is a big banner of Moe Klusza's latest cartoon (wow!) which we'll bring to the hotel tomorrow. Raychelle Harris created an excellent new site w/ all the directions, details, etc. Tomorrow we hand out pamphlets, wear t-shirts (more on this later), talk w/ media, and talk w/ AVT "experts". Raising awareness is the first step.
Tomorrow- the first-ever organized & collective stand-up for Deaf children's language & human rights in nearly 100 years! Seems like Veditz in 1913 was the last one who stood up to AGB. (No offense to those who HAVE stood up to AGB since 1913, but apparently this is the first organized/collective movement in a long time. Correct me if I'm wrong.)
History in the (re)making tomorrow!
Tomorrow- Fri. July 27th- 9 AM-3 PM Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington (Metro station: Crystal City)
Come one, come all!
°DE
(Note from Raychelle: Thanks to the following - David Eberwein, Barb DiGi and Aidan Mack for creating this vlog so you all can see the t-shirts, the banner, and the people involved in the simmering and brewing of the crucial AGB protest!)
Message from David Eberwein regarding protest plans for FRIDAY (tomorrow)
9 AM - 3 PM at Crystal Gateway Marriott (not to be confused w/ Crystal City Marriott). Please come for the full duration, and bring everybody you know. We will be wearing the "Irony" t-shirts, taping, talking with people, media, etc. This is the first movement in nearly 100 years where we collectively stand up for Deaf children's rights. Go to John Egbert's and Raychelle Harris' sites for more information and Jeanine Weisblatt's Facebook page, too.
SEE YOU THERE!
p.s. Not sure how to get there? Transportation? Click here
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Greatest Irony: Deaf Baby Cuffed, Hearing Baby Learns ASL!
It's time to expose AGB and their mind-boggling "deny the deaf child sign language" philosophy to the public. The masses need to know that there are people depriving deaf babies access to a complete and natural language. And the protest at the AGB conference tomorrow and Saturday is a great opportunity for the world learn from us! For those of you who would like more background on this controversy, see Amy Cohen Efron's The Greatest Irony.
Courtesy of the extremely talented artist, Maureen "Moe" Klusza http://moeart.com/ THANK YOU!!!! Want t-shirts? Bumper Stickers? Check Moe's Art at CafePress.com
For the protest schedule according to Deaf Bilingual Coalition, spearheaded by John F. Egbert, click here.
Take the metro! Get off the Crystal City Metro and walk about 1/4 mile to the Crystal Gateway Marriott.
For driving directions from Gallaudet to the AGB Conference at Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA, click here.
Alexander Graham Bell Association conference schedule:
Friday, July 27, 2007
8:00 – 8:15 a.m. Welcome
8:15 – 9:45 a.m. Keynote – Dr. Janet Werker
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Panel Presentation/Discussion
11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Learning Labs (4 - 5 Concurrent Sessions)
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Keynote – Dr. Anu Sharma
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Panel Presentation/Discussion
4:45 – 6:00 p.m. Learning Labs (4 - 5 Concurrent Sessions)
Saturday, July 28, 2007
7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Auditory-Verbal Therapy Certification Process Update
7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Auditory-Verbal Therapy Self-Assessment to Improve AVT Practice
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Keynote - Dr. Maria Mody
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. Panel Presentation/Discussion
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Learning Labs (4 - 5 Concurrent Sessions)
1:15 – 1:30 p.m. Closing
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Public School Caucus Luncheon and Business Meeting
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Auditory-Verbal Group Business Meeting
More irony...the theme of the AGB Conference this weekend is....: Talk For A Lifetime! *shaking head*
See you there.
Thanks to Amy Cohen Efron for starting the fire....
Courtesy of the extremely talented artist, Maureen "Moe" Klusza http://moeart.com/ THANK YOU!!!! Want t-shirts? Bumper Stickers? Check Moe's Art at CafePress.comFor the protest schedule according to Deaf Bilingual Coalition, spearheaded by John F. Egbert, click here.
Take the metro! Get off the Crystal City Metro and walk about 1/4 mile to the Crystal Gateway Marriott.
For driving directions from Gallaudet to the AGB Conference at Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA, click here.
Alexander Graham Bell Association conference schedule:
Friday, July 27, 2007
8:00 – 8:15 a.m. Welcome
8:15 – 9:45 a.m. Keynote – Dr. Janet Werker
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Panel Presentation/Discussion
11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Learning Labs (4 - 5 Concurrent Sessions)
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Keynote – Dr. Anu Sharma
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Panel Presentation/Discussion
4:45 – 6:00 p.m. Learning Labs (4 - 5 Concurrent Sessions)
Saturday, July 28, 2007
7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Auditory-Verbal Therapy Certification Process Update
7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Auditory-Verbal Therapy Self-Assessment to Improve AVT Practice
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Keynote - Dr. Maria Mody
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. Panel Presentation/Discussion
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Learning Labs (4 - 5 Concurrent Sessions)
1:15 – 1:30 p.m. Closing
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Public School Caucus Luncheon and Business Meeting
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Auditory-Verbal Group Business Meeting
More irony...the theme of the AGB Conference this weekend is....: Talk For A Lifetime! *shaking head*
See you there.
Thanks to Amy Cohen Efron for starting the fire....
Friday, February 23, 2007
Q & A for Department Bulletin Board
1) Full name: Raychelle
2) Where are you from? Maryland
3) Where do you currently live? DC
4) When did you start your PhD program? Fall 2004
5) What is your favorite part in your doctoral studies?
How the program always manages to teach me a new way of seeing the same thing everyday
6) Where are you at with your doctoral studies?
ABCD (all but comprehensive exam and dissertation)
7) What are your research interests?
ASL in the classroom and its relationship to everything else
8) What is your dissertation topic?
Maybe academic ASL… is there such a thing? If so, can we describe it?
8) What are your goals after you complete your PhD?
Say hi to my family and friends who thought I’ve since passed away
9) Current occupation, if applicable
Chocolate connoisseur and Keyboard Puncher
10) What are your interests/hobbies?
What are those?
11) What would you tell future PhD students about Gallaudet Dept. of Education PhD program?
Hungry? Never again with Gallaudet’s Dept. of Education PhD program. The content they bring to the courses are nutritious, fresh and full of flavor.
Oh, you meant literally hungry? You can always find edible leftover food in the Department of Education’s conference room. And for a little pick-me-up, see Dr. Tompkins, she has some jelly beans and Hershey’s kisses available on her desk. Also, the dingy and smelly refrigerator in the PhD student offices always has a few surprises in there as well. Don’t forget the candy machine on first floor of Fowler. Those have ensured my survival and will for you as well ☺
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
